Sheet-metal spool.



E. J. HUBBARD.

SHEET METAL SPOOL.

APPLICATION FILED LIAN. 21, 1916.

Patented May15, 1917.

INVENTOR. 6h MMM BY MTTORNEYS EBER J. HUBBARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHEET-METAL SPOOL.

eeaoae.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed January 21, 1916. Serial No. 73,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EBER J. HUBBARD,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Metal Spools, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to sheet metal spools particularly adaptable for receiving wire, thread, or the like.

Spools of this class which are repeatedly wound and unwound are subjected to considerable rough usage and must therefore be of great strength and rigidity, yet should not be too heavy. They must be of sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand stretching and separation of parts so as to "eliminate any possibility of the formation of openings into which the wire or thread might catch. In other words, the receiving surface should. at all times remain smooth and unbroken and free of any depressions or projections which might interfere with the proper winding and unwinding of the wire or thread. The ends of the spool should also be smooth and flat in order that the spool can be seated firmly on its ends and can be readily stacked. The ends should also be smooth in order that labels can readily be applied thereto.

The object of my invention is to produce sheet metal spools which will meet the above requirements, yet which are comparatively light and whose :cost of manufacture is small.

Spools embodying the features of my invention are disclosed on the accompanying sheet of drawings in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational 'view,

Fig.2 is an end view with part of the reinforcing plate broken away,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on plane'3--3,

' Fig. 2, withone reinforcing plate removed and the hub teeth shown extended,

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of one of the spool ends.

The spool shown comprises a hub or core 10 and end structures 11 and 12. The core shown is formed by bending a sheet metal and in the end structures 11 and 12 I blank into cylindrical form. In order to lock the abutting edges of the core together,

I prefer to use the arrangement disclosed in my Patent No. 1,143,541, dated June 15, 1915, dove-tail tongues 13 being provided at one edge to fit into correspondinglyshaped openings or grooves 14. in the opposite edge. For locking the end structures 11 and 12 to the core I provide spaced tongues or tenons 15 at each end of the core,

pro-

vide correspondingly spaced slots 16 for receiving the tongues, the tongues slipping through these slots when the end structures are applied and being then bent over against the outer faces of the end structures as clearly shown in Fig. 2. In order to assist in looking the abutting edges of the core together at the core ends tongues or tenons 15 and 15 are provided adjacent the edges for engaging in corresponding slots 16 and 16 in the end structures, the slots and tongues being spaced apart but as close to the core edges as possible S?) as to prevent peripheral or radial relative movement thereof.

The end structures 11 and .12 are preferably in the form of flat disks having their peripheral sections 17 curled orflanged over outwardly to give strength and rigidity to the structures.

curely thereagainst, there will be no de- Theinner faces of the disks being flat and the core ends abutting sepressions 0r ruts in which wire or thread on the spool could catch.

To further secure the end structures to the core I prefer to weld the turned over tongues to" the end structures. However, such tongues, if exposed, will leave the outer sides of the end structures rough and wire or thread may catch. Furthermore, labels could not be readily and neatly applied to such rough outer faces. In accordance with my invention I cover up the turned over tongues by metallic plates 18, and I preferably secure these plates to the end structures by welding. Instead of welding the tongues separately to the end structures, the end disks, the tongues and the plates 18 could be welded together during one operation.

To permit application of a spool to a winding or unwinding spindle, the end disks have each the central opening 19 concentric with the core, and the plates 18 having openings 20 concentric with the openings 19; To reinforce the plates 18 and to give greater bearing surface on the spool supporting spindle, the section adjacent the plate opening is deflected inwardly to form a cylindrical flange 21. When the plates are applied to the spool the flanges 21 will extend inwardly through the openings 19 and adequate bearing surface will be provided for the spool when it is applied to a spindle. In the arrangement shown in Figs; 2 and 3, the plates 18 extend radially just a sufiicient distance to cover the tongues 15 and the edge sections 22 of the plates are preferably deflected inwardlyto extend over the bases of the turned over teeth and to abut against the end disks. plied they and the tongues are secured to the end disks by spot welding therethrough, the openings 20 allowing ready insertion of one jaw of the welding apparatus into the core. The plate could also be welded at other spots but it is Very important that the overturned teeth be also secured by welding as otherwise they might stretch and yield as the spool is being wound, and such stretching or yield would permit separation between the core ends and the end structures and such separation would of course result in cracks or spaces in which the wire or thread would engage and bind and proper unwinding would be interfered with. Inner and outer holes 23 and 24 are provided in the end structures for anchoring the outer and inner ends of the thread or wire wound on the spool and registering openings 25 and 26 are provided in the end disks and plates for receiving the turning pin of the winding machine.

The end plates 18 which cover up the turned over teeth present a smooth outer surface which offers, very little resistance to turning of the spools during unwinding. Preferably the outer faces of the plates are in a common plane with the strengthening flanges 17 of the end disks so that the spools can be rigidly supported on end and can be readily and securely stacked end to end.

' Furthermore, the smooth plates together with the smooth end disks'provide surface to which labels can be readily, smoothly and neatly applied. Not only do the end plates give such smooth seating and label receiving surface but they add greatly to the strength of the entire spool structure.

I thus produce a strong, rigid yet light spool which will withstand the rough usage to which it is subjected in the winding and unwinding. of wire or thread and which will maintain its shape under load and will not spread or open at any point. The plates applied to-the ends of the spool not only greatly After the plates have been apreinforce the spool but cooperate with the end disks to provide smooth and even sure shown and described, as changes and modifications are no doubt possible which would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim as follows: 1. In a sheet metal spool, the combinatio of a cylindrical sheet metal core, end disks having openings, the ends of said core extending through said openings and being turned over against the outer faces of the disks, and strengthening and finish plates applied to the bent over ends, said ends being welded tosaid disks andplates thus intimately and rigidly securing the parts together.

2. In a sheet metal spool, the combination of a cylindrical sheet metal core, end disks having openings, the ends of said core extending through said openings and being turned over against the outer faces of the disks, and strengthening and finish plates applied to the bent over ends, said ends being welded to said disks and plates thus intimately and rigidly securing the parts together, the outer edges of said plates being deflected over into engagement with the disks to act as abutments for resisting bending of the disks.

3. In a sheet metal spool, the combination of a sheet metal core, sheet metal end disks, said core having tongues at its ends and said disks having slots for receiving said tongues, said tongues being bent over against the outer sides of the disks to lock the disks to the core, finish plates'engaging the outer faces of said bent-over tongues and said tongues being intimately welded to said of a cylindrical core, sheet metal end disks,

said end disks having central openings and slots concentric with said openings, said core having tongues at its ends for extending through said slots and being bent over against the outer sides of the disks, circular finish plates applied against the outer sides of said bent-over tongues and said tongues being spot-welded to said end disks and finish plates, said finish plates having central openings and the metal adjacent said openings being deflected inwardly a' distance through the end disk central openings, flanges at the peripheries of said finish plates engaging against the outer edges of the bentover tongues and inclosing said tongues, the 5 outer edges of said end disks being bent outwardly and radially inwardly to form protecting flanges, the outer faces of said finish plates being Within the outer radial planes of said flanges.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe 10 my name this 19th day of January, A. D., 1916.

' EBER -J. HUBBARD, 

